Elizabeth Chen, DDS, MSD Kids Healthy Teeth

Even the dentist’s kids believe in the tooth fairy. “Of course they do!” said Dr. Elizabeth Chen, pediatric dentist, owner of Kids Healthy Teeth in Katy, and mom. “They’re not old enough to have lost teeth yet, but they will at some point. I’ll try not to ruin that for them,” she said. Chen comes from a family of dentists, including her pediatric dentist mom, oral and maxillofacial surgeon dad, and her orthodontist brother and sister. Still, her experiences with the tooth fairy, and even with the health of her own teeth, are in many ways the same as anybody else’s.

“I had a silver crown as a kid, and my mom was my pediatric dentist,” she said. “I can see it in old pictures. It glistens in the photos.” The pedodontist shares that story with patients to make them feel better, since even the experts find it difficult to prevent cavities. Luckily, prevention, treatment, and care have evolved to become even better tools in dentistry.

Old Field, New Field

Kids Healthy Teeth is not your parent’s pediatric dental office. Women often made up only about 11% of each graduating dental class when Dr. Chen’s mother was in school. Dr. Elizabeth Chen’s class, however, was evenly split between men and women. As discrimination against women faded, an emphasis on calming, gentle pediatric dentistry grew in parallel. Gruff old-school pediatric dentistry gave way to one with a child-centered appreciation and a cultivated understanding of child psychology. That understanding is central to Dr. Chen’s work. Besides distraction and lots of friendly interactions to help children feel safe and relaxed, pharmacological behavior management tools like nitrous oxide, and pain or anxiety medication can help nervous young ones through scary procedures.

What’s more, Dr. Chen practices minimally invasive dentistry much more frequently than older generations did. “If I have a nine or 10-year-old with cavities on a baby tooth that will be lost around age 11 or 12, 20 years ago they would jump in and treat that,” she said. “These days, we try things like extra fluoride toothpaste or medicine for the tooth first.”

Birthday Party

For easing the child’s mind on their way to the dentist, nothing works better than an established relationship. Instead of associating the dentist with painful emergency care, early visits can reinforce positive associations. As such, besides fielding an excellent staff, Kids Healthy Teeth heaps on the fun. “It looks almost like a children’s museum here,” said Dr. Chen. “It’s like a little town. There’s a cupcake room and a Toyland room, as well as a pet store and a post office.” Patients even receive a small token at the end of each visit, dropping them into the “treasure tower” to choose one of eight prizes. One child even asked to have his birthday party at Kids Healthy Teeth. With a kids-first approach in the office, it’s easy to see why.